Blog - tree in a box

Like many of you I have been watching various events in this
years Olympic Games. Now many of the “Big” events are great to watch, but I
also like to dive into the more obscure events that people ask “Is this a real
Olympic event?” While both Winter and Summer games have their respective
obscure events, lets look at a few.

Curling is becoming less obscure as more people talk about
it, but I am not entirely sure I have seen it rise to the popularity level such
as sports like figure skating or gymnastics. Luge and Skeleton may not get as
much recognition as bobsledding, but people that blast down a hill by
themselves or in pairs at speeds over 80 mph deserve a little respect. Especially
when they are going head first!

The Biathlon is intriguing in the world of sports. Coming from
the rocky mountains, I can see where it makes sense. If you were living in the
back country, you might need to cross country ski to get around, add in hunting
for your food, and you get the biathlon. Being timed seems logical to real life, you
would want to get your hunt done quickly so you didn’t have to spend the night
out in the freezing cold. Even the penalty laps for missing your shot targets
would definitely discourage one from missing the critter you are shooting at.

Summer games seem to have even more obscure events, if that
is possible. Handball, basically soccer
but with your hands……. Dressage aka
“horse dancing”, ok I like horses as much as the next person, but I am not
convinced this sport tests athletes physical prowess to a level worthy of the
Olympic games. Racewalking, need I say more?

Who can forget events from historical Olympic games that
sadly we will neve get a chance to see televised, or better yet experienced in
virtual reality;

Tug of War – I knew grade school PE would pay
off

Jeu De Paume - think really old tennis with your
hand instead of a racquet

Life Saving - with our history of Baywatch, how
could any other country compete?

Distance Plunging – diving into a pool and
staying underwater not using your limbs while on your stomach. Maybe this is
why the life saving sport was invented

Single Synchronized Swimming – wait, what?

Kite Flying – I knew my middle school math teacher
was just trying to prepare me for an Olympic career when she told me to “Go fly
a kite”

Some events are admittedly stranger than others, but the one
thing all the events have in common in this venue is the Olympic Spirit. Granted
modern Olympics are much different than the original games back in 776 BC. We might
not be dedicating the games to the Olympian gods but I feel the spirit of
competition remains the same. Most every kid, at one time in their life, has
thought “I want to be in the Olympics.” To me this means our coaches have
instilled the attitude and drive to do better and strive for greatness.
Throughout history even in times of great instability worldwide, the games have
brought out greatness in global competition where politics take a back seat to
raw physical competition amongst athletes from all corners of the globe. I
think that is what makes the Olympics so special. For just over two weeks every
two years, representatives from all over come together to compete and watch
something quite amazing.

The opening ceremony at the Pyeongchang Games centered
around the culture of South Korea. One
thing that might go unnoticed by many is that the downhill course is lined with
sacred trees. While they sadly had to cut
down about 58,000 trees to make way for the new venue and the ski courses, they
did shift the course to preserve 35 trees of note. They will also be replanting close to 1,300
of the trees that were removed and moving them to nearby locations. Olympic organizers stated that plants, trees
and forests are being replanted, restored or replaced at double the amount that
was impacted. Seeds, topsoil and plants were saved during construction to be
used in restoration projects.

To preserve as much of the forest on Mount Gariwang as
possible, the initially designed separate men’s/women’s downhill courses were
partially combined to protect more of the sacred trees.

All orders placed now through April 30th will receive a 10% discount on
retail prices of standard and custom grow your own tree kits. It is not too late to get your Earth Day and Arbor Day orders in! Show friends, family. customers, and employees how much you care about the environment by giving them [...]

Any day where you plant a tree or spend time appreciating trees is a great day but May 16th, National Love a Tree Day, holds a special place in the hearts of all of us at Tree In A Box. While the origins of this special day might be a mystery, the benefits of trees [...]

According to Popular Science (March/April 2016 Issue) the
Food and Agriculture Organization released some good news stating that “The
global rate of forest loss has dropped 50% in five years.” While this sounds like
great news, which it is, there are still of few issues to take into account
when we hear a statement like this.First let’s commend all [...]

While studies have not proven that the wireless radiation
from all those Wi-Fi routers out there are harmful to humans. Sadly the same can not be said for our closest neighbors, the trees. A study performed by Wageningen
University investigated strange findings where trees
in areas with high Wi-Fi activity (urban areas of course were the worst [...]

We all need our sleep as most of us get cranky when we don’t
get enough sleep. Have you ever come across a cranky tree? Maybe they stole
your kite or Frisbee? As it turns out trees also enjoy a good night’s sleep.A group of European scientist from the Vienna University of
Technology and the Finish Geodetic Institute [...]

We wanted to say thank you to all of you who are returning
to read the next installment on ideas of how you can offset your wedding carbon
footprint. I invite those who have not read part 1 yet to review our previous post about
reasons why you should have a Green Wedding.Let’s talk about paper products first; [...]

Plant a Mother’s Tree for Mother’s Day Mother’s Day is this weekend and while looking for great gift
ideas for my mother and mother-in-law, something more creative than flowers or
brunch, I came across the history of Solan Parkes and the Mother’s Tree.Solan Parkes, among being things like a conservationist and originator
of The Forest Guides, he [...]

Green WeddingsIt's your special day and if you are like my wife, you have your ideal wedding
planned out in your mind (or a giant binder full of pages with pictures of dresses, cakes, flowers, and favors. When you envision your wedding, does it include Eco-friendly [...]

Happy International Plant Appreciation DayApril is full of great ways to celebrate our earth and do
good things for our environment. On April 13th,
we invite everyone to celebrate International Plant Appreciation day with
us by planting a tree. International Plant Appreciation Day is a
celebration of the numerous benefits of plants outside, in our homes, and at
our places [...]